Frankfurt served up a feast of pro-audio solutions and celebrations this year, say Dave Robinson and Erica Basnicki

AROUND

110,000 VISITORS from 120 countries

descended on Messe Frankfurt for the 2012 edition of Prolight + Sound and Musikmesse. There was much to see in what may turn out to be a vintage year for the event, with compact console technology, large-format PA and networking technology very much in the frame. The show hosted celebrations

for several pro-audio names. DiGiCo kicked things off with a 10th anniversary (and 40 years since the original DiGiCo incarnation of Soundtracs) – plus a cake from Messe to boot! With the words “We’re

reclaiming the number five!” MD James Gordon launched the SD5, a reworking of the DiGiCo D5 Live product based around Stealth Digital Processing. The SD5 sits between the flagship SD7 and last year’s SD10 consoles and although it effectively replaces the D5, outstanding orders for that model will be fulfilled.

“We’ve evolved a lot over the past decade, both in terms of the way we use the available technology and our understanding of what our customers really want and need,” said Gordon. “SD5 is the culmination of that combined knowledge, so we want to make it the next generation D5 Live.” DiGiCo also announced it will

“supercharge” all SD consoles free of charge (for a limited time) for existing customers. A new software suite will be available, which will not only provide expanded channel counts and new effects but gives SD consoles super-charged new names: SD11i (for injection), SD9 Supercharged, SD8 OverDrive2, SD10 Nitrous, and the SD7 Mach 3. EM Acoustics also celebrates

10 years of business this year. The company introduced its first self- powered products (MSE-159SP medium-Q full range speaker and MSE-218SP self-powered subwoofer), as well as the AD and AQ Series amps, designed and manufactured by MC2 in the UK.

SCALING UP:NEXOREVEALS THE LARGER-FORMAT STM

Frankfurt gave the pro-audio audience the first sighting of Nexo’s new large-format PA proposition, the STM Series (as revealed first in PSNEuropeFebruary 2012). STM (Scale Through Modularity) Series claims to be the “first scalable modular line array on the market” and combines the Nexo Alpha functionality with the technical innovation of Nexo GEO waveguide designs to deliver a system that is both “super-powerful, super-flexible and easy to use”. Speaking after the show, Nexo’s concert sound specialist Stuart Kerrison told PSNEurope: “This was one of the best shows any of the Nexo team can remember! We weren’t technically launching a product, but sharing the new STM Scale Through Modularity concept. We had heavy traffic for all three trade days, and were pleased to see many top-flight hire companies not just from Europe but all over the world. We found that there was a real appetite not just for our technology but for our ideas on

how to make large- format PA systems pay their way in the rental business. In fact, Nexo’s experience in

Frankfurt proved that,

although everyone is being careful with their money, they are still willing to spend it when there is a value offer.”